
Welcome to 45th Parallel Literary Magazine
Who are we?
45th Parallel is a literary magazine that features creative nonfiction, fiction, poetry, visual art, and comics. The magazine was established in 2015 as a print journal, but has recently moved completely into the digital realm. We publish a new issue every summer.
45th Parallel is affiliated with Oregon State University’s School of Writing, Literature, and Film in Corvallis. It’s managed and edited by MFA student volunteers and undergraduate interns. We also publish interviews with visiting authors, and book reviews.
We’re looking for well-crafted work that challenges readers, and is original in its ideas, themes, or form. For more information about submitting, check out our submissions page.
Our namesake
45th Parallel is a line of latitude equal distance from the equator and the North Pole. We share this line with many countries in the world including: France, Italy, Romania, China and Japan.
MASTHEAD
Issue 11
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Anmol Priya Desai | any pronouns | poetry
Anmol’s work explores family, the cosmos, and American absurdities through poetry.
editor’s note: I’m interested in all poetry that surprises and enthralls. Some writers I love: Sylvia Plath, Agha Shahid Ali, Russell Edson, Walt Whitman, Anne Carson, Shuzo Takiguchi, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, torrin a. greathouse, Megan Fernandes.
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Hyrum Blanchard | they/them | creative nonfiction
Hyrum’s work explores family, religion, and the American West through memoir and documentary poetics.
editor’s note: I’m interested in all forms of essays with a preference for those with compelling narratives. Writing with a strong undercurrent of subtext always keeps me reading. A few of my current favorite authors are Annie Proulx, Thalia Field, and Jo Ann Beard.
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Elyssa Cook | Any Pronouns | Poetry
Elyssa’s poetry explores ecosystems, gender, the body, its layers, and how we intersect with the world. How do we live so as not to crush?
Editor’s Note: I’m interested in poetry that has teeth, nails, words I can gnaw on, textured soundwork, rhythm, and pause. Some writers I love: Natasha Trethewey, Ross Gay, Louise Glück, Hanif Abdurraqib, Kaveh Akbar, Terrance Hayes, Ollie Schminkey, Steven Kleinman, Natalie Diaz.
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Brian Ramanis | He/Him | American Literature
Graphic novels, archives, and post-truth narratives in American Literature. Willing to talk to anyone, about any monster, at any time.
Editor’s Note: I’m interested in fiction that takes a swing — narratives that seep into the marrow, and makes my bones drift apart.
Some writers I love: Jeff Vandermeer, China Miéville, Carmen Maria Machado, Emil Ferris, Emily Carroll, Junji Ito, Toni Morrison, Anne Carson, Angela Carter, Virginia Woolf, Mark Z Danielewski, The Shellys but mostly Mary.Jem Braithwaite | He/Him | Fiction
Jem writes short stories often centered around food and eccentric people.
Editor’s note: My favourite kinds of stories are the ones that are humorous, sad and tense. I love the work of Kazuo Ishiguro, Lorrie Moore, and George Saunders.
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Oden Taylor | he/him | rhetoric, writing, and composition
Leaning on the longstanding history of POC feminist theory, Oden’s work operationalizes joy in the field of rhetoric and composition, both through applied pedagogical work in the composition classroom and through exploring the theoretical construction of rhetorical joy and its possibilities for a more positive framework/lens in the field of rhetoric.
editor’s note: I am interested in all forms of media and see the power of the written word in everything humans create. I love to read short stories, poetry, and non-fiction books, as well as reading the world itself as a deeply complex and multifaceted text. Some poets who have long had my deep admiration are Franny Choi and traci kato-kiriyama.
Cora Lassen | she/they | creative nonfiction
Cora’s essays explore persona, gender, and community dynamics.
editor’s note: I’m interested in inquiry-driven nonfiction that unearths more questions than it attempts to answer. I love writing that capably wields humor as a tool. Some favorite writers include Angela Carter, Joyelle McSweeney, Thalia Field, and Andrea Long Chu.
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